A/N: Sorry about how long this took, I've been uploading this story on Archiveofourown, and I kinda forgot to update it here too... Anyway, if you want to support it over there, it'd be a big help (It's under the title A Frisk to the Past on Archive)! I'll try not to forget next time!
In the depths of a boiling lab, where the endless pings and whirs of machines bounced around cold metallic walls, a skeleton stood in observance of one particular machine. "How interesting…" He cooed. He stood there watching the data shuffle across the tubular screen before sharply turning away from the device and heading for a nearby intercom. He pressed the transmission button with a long boney finger, spoke pointedly.
"Summon 01." He said releasing the button before a response could come.
When he turned from the intercom, he wasn't the least bit surprised to meet the face of another person.
"sup bro?" a short skeleton greeted coolly, hands buried deep within the pockets of his blue jacket. The grin chiseled into his face was one that reflected passive ease, a contrasting sight in this cold monotone lab. Gaster seemed familiar with this face, for he glanced at it for less than a second before turning and trudging past him.
"Interesting things, Sans, very interesting things." He said coming up to a machine. "It challenges the inner-most depths of my sagacity."
"hmm… sounds serious… maybe you should go for a jog?"
The scientist frowned. "Discard your juvenile propensities for this matter, Sans. We've an anomaly that runs wayward in both Space and Time."
"an anomaly?" Sans questioned.
"It is a deviation in the flow of temporal happenstance. And it is very active."
"so?"
"So, this anomaly is interfering with a timeline not his own." He explained. "Sans we must find and terminate this life form immediately. Its continued existence is not something we can afford."
"maybe they just stopped for a nap?"
"Traveling through time is not a prolonged experience, you are aware of this Brother." Gaster turned coldly to the computer, ran a hand grimly over the screen. "This day has been fated to come for aeons. And if this anomaly is rewarded with continued existence, it will effortlessly eradicate us all…such has been the ways of many past timelines."
"wont they just come back and do it again if they fail?"
A sly smile appeared on the scientist's face as he beckoned Sans to follow. "See this?" he asked, gesturing to a gigantic object hidden beneath a tarp. "This project is something that goes unknown even to the king's knowledge."
"wow… guess you really covered it up, huh?" the short skeleton remarked, much to the taller one's resentment.
"This device," he continued as if his brother hadn't even spoken, "will reverse the temporal influence the anomaly possesses, shattering its soul across Time and Space permanently. And you will be the one to do it."
Sans went silent for a while, before, "so…you want me to kill the time traveler…"
"Exactly!"
"…i dont know… seems like a lotta work for something that hasnt caused any trouble yet."
"But this being has caused trouble! It's brought us to our demise countless times over, reveling in every moment of it! And given the opportunity it will continue to do it, over and over until it is permanently stopped. I would do this myself but I do not possess the same finesse as you when it comes to hostility."
The cold room went deathly quiet as the brothers stared at one another, the shorter of the two not even blinking. The silence held fast, lasting for about a minute before Sans adjusted his hands inside his pockets.
"okay," he said nonchalantly, "show me what i gotta do."
Later that evening, or what Frisk considered to be evening anyway, Toriel called the two children into the dining area for dinner. It was the same room from before; the one Asriel had dragged them into in search for his mother only this time the fire place was cackling with a warm fire and there was a light shining in from the doorway at the other end of the room.
Asriel looked downright excited to eat, the anticipation glowing in his eyes and watering mouth. He ran up to the tall wooden table rimmed with three matching chairs and one makeshift one, taking his spot next to the out-of-place chair and staring pointedly at it.
"This is your chair, Frisk!" he said, excitement layering his words.
Frisk stared at the chair quizzically. It obviously had been brought out of some dusty closet just for him. This was probably the first time it had ever been used.
He knew that sitting in this chair would make him stand out more than he already did, just like a birthday child in a festive restaurant. And he felt the urge to cover his face as he took his seat.
Asriel's eyes bore into him, wide and awe-stricken. The kid had held that same gaze the entire time he'd showed off his rather boring toys. Frisk didn't tell him the toys were boring though, he didn't want to be mean. The monster seemed pretty fond of his collection after all.
"So," Asriel chirped suddenly, "now that you're staying here, we can stay up late and play all kinds of games!"
"Nice try Asriel," the two children turned to see Toriel standing in the doorway, wry smirk on her face, "but there'll be no one partaking in any in any late-night excursions on school nights."
"But Frisk doesn't go to school!" Asriel pointed out.
"Not yet." She said. "But you do."
Asriel deflated, a sullen pout falling over his rounded features.
"Speaking of which," Toriel continued, now entering the room and taking a seat at the table, "Frisk, you must have a school you attended on the Surface, right? I know they do not teach you magic, but surely there must be some form of curriculum for human children!"
Frisk tried hard to remember, squeezing his eyes shut in an attempt to muster up the memory. But to no avail. The word school sounded vaguely familiar, but it wasn't enough to conjure a solid definition. So he just shook his head reluctantly.
"I don't remember…"
Toriel frowned at this, "Well, this is certainly troubling, but no worries, in time I'll figure something out. After all, every child—monster and human—needs an education! And I refuse to allow this disposition of yours deprive you of that. Perhaps we could start with a few history books. It is always important to stay informed! And knowing history is the best way of preventing it from repeating itself."
Frisk's brain was beginning to hurt, and not from the fall. This sounded like a lot of work, not something that could be done in one sitting. And just by the bright glimmer in her eyes, he could tell that Toriel was very passionate about every ounce of what she taught. She would expect him to learn everything.
"But Mom," Asriel whined, "school's boring. There's always so much work and no time to play with my toys!"
"Your toys wouldn't exist without an educated mind to create them." she said matter-of-factly. "The more you understand, the better you'll be able to create and imagine the things which you find "fun"."
Asriel let out an annoyed huff, as if he'd heard this speech a thousand times before. "Will Frisk and I be able to walk to school when he starts?"
Toriel hesitated, a look of guilt flashing across her face. "Umm…well I don't think Frisk will be able to attend the same school as you, dear." She said. Asriel's head snapped up in shock.
"What? Why not?!"
She sighed seeing the look of utter disappointment in her son's eyes and sent a warm smile his way. "There are many things we still have to work out. Not many monsters would take kindly to seeing a human around here and we would not want Frisk getting hurt now would we?"
Glumly, Asriel nodded in agreement. Toriel smiled.
"Very good." She surmised. "Now, Frisk, do not let all this talk worry you. In time we will—"
Toriel startled as the door suddenly opened and two tall figures entered.
The taller of the two was garbed in a mighty lavender cape and had a prominent blonde beard that veiled most of his face. He looked similar to Toriel, the only difference being that the horns on his head were much larger.
The other monster—a dog—was covered in a fine armor chiseled to the likeness of his body. He stood with austere posture, poised and ready to attack if need be. The only part of his body that was exposed was his dark-furred head which was deeply seamed from age. Frisk was intimidated by this creature and the way that its expertly sharp eyes stared at him.
"Why's there a human in here!?" the dog demanded, hand slipping to his belt where a weapon was no doubt hiding.
Frisk felt the urge to run but was stilled by a firm, protective hand on his shoulder as Toriel moved in front of him. She spoke sternly.
"There shall be no harming of anyone in my home!" She advised staring fearlessly into the dog-warrior's eyes. Forget the dog; Toriel was the one to be scared of! And she was guarding him!
The canine opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by his bearded companion. "Enough, Doggerel. I'm sure this is all a big misunderstanding how about we—"
"Dad! Dad!" two little feet scurried across the hardwood floor as Asriel ran up to the figure, tugging on his robes eagerly. "This is my friend, Frisk! He's really nice and he won't hurt anyone I promise!"
Dad? Frisk gawked, registering the size difference between the two. How could such a small creature be the offspring of something so massive? Was Asriel going to grow that tall eventually?
The tall figure put a large hand on his son's shoulder, smiled warmly. "It's all right, Son. Why don't we just sit and talk about this over some dinner?" Asriel gave a half smile in appeasement. Doggerel on the other hand was outraged.
"My Lord," the canine pleaded, "You cannot truthfully be considering dining with this human! After all their kind has done to us!"
The bearded monster turned to him, and for a moment Frisk thought he was going to attack the dog, but he didn't and instead placed his hands on the metal of his shoulder. He stared into his eyes sympathetically, "My friend, we all grieve with the memory of the past. But this is just a child. Look into his eyes and tell me you don't see just the slightest glow of innocence."
Slowly the old canine's head turned to gaze into the human's eyes. Frisk shifted uncomfortably under the gaze, feeling almost threatened by it. He always hated having to look into the eyes of others, like it was a contest of who had the strongest stare rather than the "respectful" gesture that it was considered to be. But there was too much focus on him now to avoid those war-stained eyes so he had to muster up the strength to maintain the contact. Thankfully Toriel's reassuring hand on his shoulder helped him feel supported, filling him with the determination to ride out the glare until the canine gave a long agitated sigh and turned to face the king.
"This is a foolish mistake, My Lord." He said gravely. "This human is no different from the rest."
Asgore frowned at the statement. "I'm sorry you feel that way. I assume that means you won't be joining us for dinner tonight?"
"I'll take my leave. But before I do I have just one thing to ask:" at this he moved around the king to stare into the angry brown eyes of Toriel, "How did this human gain entrance to the castle?"
The room was silent for all but two seconds before Asriel erupted into a torrent of quickly spoken words. "I found him in the Ruins and brought him back because he was hurt." He must've really believed his reasoning would help because the hope that radiated from his expression was so bright it could substitute for the sun. It seemed to have an effect on the dog as well, evoking what appeared to be a look of sadness. But with a blink it was gone, replaced by utter frustration as revelation hit him.
"Dogamy and Dogaressa…" the canine shook his head grimly, "I should have known those two blind dogs would be responsible for such a trivial error." He gave a respectful bow to the king and queen. "If you'll excuse me Your Majesty, I have more pressing matters to attend to." With a nod from the king he turned, strode out.
Once he was gone, Frisk let out a sigh of relief. "He's grumpy." He said earning a chuckle from Asriel.
"Well," Toriel said, all previous anger having dissipated, "now that it's just the four of us, I believe a proper introduction is in order." She walked up to Asgore, nuzzled her nose lovingly against his. "Honey, this is Frisk. Frisk, this is my husband and King of the Underground, Asgore."
The massive monster approached the child with a generous, welcoming smile, crouching down onto his knees as he extended his meaty hand in formal greeting. Normally Frisk would run from a creature of such size, but the way he smiled, the way his eyes watched patiently… it just beckoned him to reach out and grab that hand so as not to disappoint.
"Howdy, Frisk!" he greeted. "It is nice to meet you."
"Dad!" Asriel interrupted from his seat. "Do you think you could take me and Frisk to the flower patch in Outland? He could pick out a flower to put next to his bed!"
The hand holding Frisk's paused in its greeting and Frisk worried something had gone wrong.
Asgore raised a brow, "Bed?" he asked, sending a questioning glare toward his wife who smiled somewhat sheepishly in return.
"I guess it is no longer a surprise." She said. "Frisk didn't have a place to go, so I told him he could stay here."
Asgore stared silently at his wife, thoughts unraveling in his head. A pang of nervousness surged through Frisk's heart as he watched the monster think. Was he going to make him leave? Part of him wouldn't mind that, but the rest of him knew that he'd have nowhere else to go if that happened. Suddenly the King turned to face him, eyes blank and unreadable. When he spoke, it was with an even tone.
"You wish to return to the Surface world, I take it." There was a long pause before, "I understand your pain little one. While I don't know how you got here, I know you must want to return… we all do…"
The sudden downtrodden atmosphere of the room confused Frisk. The monsters wanted to go to the surface too? Well what was stopping them?
"Why don't you just dig up there?" he suggested. It couldn't be that far.
Asgore chuckled and Frisk was slightly insulted by it. "I'm afraid it's more than that. There's a barrier that keeps us trapped here."
"A Barrier?" Frisk asked.
The king smiled in a way that clearly said he did not want to talk about it. "Don't worry about it. We will make sure your life here is just as good as the one on the Surface."
"It may take a while for some monsters to come to accept this." Toriel added solemnly, then a confident smile formed on her lips, "But as long as you're under our guardianship, they will not so much as lay a crude eye on you. Speaking of which…" at this she turned to face her husband, face falling stern, "I want you to inform Doggerel that if I find so much as a hair on this child's head to be misplaced I will talk to him."
Asgore swallowed at his wife's order, smiled nervously. "Of course, Love." He said and moved in to plant a kiss on her cheek, most likely to steer her anger away from him. Luckily it seemed to work as her eyes softened and she returned the kiss with a bit of possessive claim. The exhibit was charming, seeing the spark of love that connected the two monsters. Asriel on the other hand was downright disgusted by it, making rather obnoxious noises for every ear in the room.
"Ewwww!" he writhed in embarrassment. "Frisk turn away before you go blind!"
Toriel chuckled at her son's discomfort. "You should listen to him, Frisk; otherwise you might have to kiss your sight goodbye."
Asriel groaned at the bad pun, flustered that his mother was acting this way in front of Frisk.
Frisk just smiled, finding himself slightly entertained by the sheer dread of the pun. In truth he was actually surprised that a woman as elegant and genteel as her valued such childish, immature comedy. In a way it was kind of relieving. Perhaps living here wouldn't be so bad…
It was the first night Frisk had slept the entire way through in a long, long time. The bed Asgore had moved into Asriel's room was incredibly cozy, the mattress hugging his frame as a soft and heavy comforter shielded him from the cold of the room. It wasn't completely dark, a single night light glowing at the foot of Asriel's bed being the culprit, but Frisk wasn't bothered. It all served as a welcoming to him and his surroundings he was yet to be familiar with.
There was however, one thing that kept him awake for a while: Asriel. The monster was a fountain of words, spewing sentences left and right without two even connecting. Most of it went over Frisk's tired ears, but he did manage to catch a few things, the most important being that he wanted to show Frisk around town the next day. He didn't object to it, figuring it'd be better than just sitting around and playing with those uninteresting toys. Maybe this way he'd be able to get to know this place he was apparently trapped in a little better.
So, the next morning Frisk woke prepared for a hike only to be somewhat surprised to find Asriel absent from his bed. It would have been more surprising had there not been a note left half protruding from under Frisk's pillow. Pulling it out, Frisk mumbled the words aloud.
"Sorry about this but I had something I needed to do earlier and I already left for Snowdin. You'll have to meet me there, but don't worry! I left a map in the bottom drawer of my armoire. I highlighted a shortcut for you."
-Asriel
Frisk scratched his sleep-tousled hair in confusion. How had he managed to get this letter under his pillow without waking him up? Either Asriel was incredibly stealthy or he had just been in too deep a sleep to notice. He guessed it was the latter, pushing the thought aside and returning his focus to Asriel's request.
Lo and behold the map was right where the monster had said it'd be, tucked neatly in the bottom drawer of the tall wardrobe. It wasn't that large, but it was big enough to make out the topography of the land. Not that he would need it though, because there was a massive, flamboyant red line streaked across the map with the emphasized label: SHORTCUT underlined beside it.
Frisk deadpanned. Guess Asriel worried that Frisk might not notice the only colored indicator on the entire map!
Indignant anger swelled up within, but he stifled it. The monster most likely wasn't trying to insult his intelligence; he was just worried is all. It would be stupid to get upset over that.
Sighing he returned his attention to the map. He noted the red line starting at the castle, followed its sinuous weaving through the contours of a forest and then found it arriving around the black font of Snowdin. It should be easy enough, just—
He paused, the scent of cherries brushing against the insides his nostrils. He hesitated a moment before leaning in and sniffing the map. He drew back in yet another deadpan. Asriel had used a scented marker on this map…
Without another thought he rolled the map up and set off for the town called Snowdin.
The air was cold and thin, bleeding through the thick fabric of Frisk's shirt and chilling his bones. He shivered for a moment throwing his arms across his chest in an effort to keep warm. Why did Asriel want to show him this place so badly? It was just a tiny little village buried in snow and blistering cold! He glanced around the town, the soft yellow glow of lights filling the snowy path that was considered the 'town square'. There was a tall Christmas tree in the center, dressed in colorful lights and sheltering a flock of nicely wrapped presents.
He couldn't understand why, but the sight of this tree and how it stood all alone in this cold dark place… it filled him with determination.
He was suddenly startled by two small hands sharply grabbing his shoulder.
"Rawr!" the small voice shouted. It didn't matter that it sounded like a kid; it still scared Frisk all the same. He turned to see the sly face of Asriel snickering in victory.
"Scared you," he taunted. Frisk scowled in embarrassment.
"I thought I was being attacked." He sulked.
"Sure you did." He pushed on to another subject. "So you ready to see the town?!"
"It's right here. I already see it."
Asriel rolled his eyes good naturedly. "No silly! You have to see the inside of these places! We'll go to Grillby's first. C'mon, I didn't skip school for nothing!"
Frisk froze. "You skipped school?" He questioned uncertainly. Was he crazy? Did he not realize how scary his mom was?
The monster nodded secretively. "As long as nobody catches us, we'll be fine."
"You've done this before?"
There was a glimmer of pride in Asriel's eye. "This is my first time!"
That swelling feeling returned in his abdomen, this time it was guilt along with a sense of foreboding. Was this kid trying to act differently to impress him? Was he that desperate to befriend him? Why? What was it that Asriel found so interesting about him? Was it because he was human? Being royalty he probably had many monster friends, more than Frisk could count. So why did he want him? Maybe it was like a bet and he was trying to make the most friends as possible… Frisk didn't like that thought, it made him feel like a worthless toy made to be stored away and forgotten in time. He glanced at Asriel, noting the bright smile on his face. His parents were rich and most likely gave him everything he wanted, why would friendships be any different?
Watching Frisk, Asriel grew impatient, grabbing his hand and pulling him along. "Come on, you'll love this place! It's really cool and the monsters there are even cooler."
Frisk said nothing and allowed the monster to drag him along. If Asriel thought he was going to get on his good side easily he was wrong. Frisk was not going to be used and forgotten! The feeling was too familiar in his heart…
The inside of Grillby's was quite different from what Frisk was expecting. Aside from the heavenly smell of bubbling grease, the place was dimly lit, filling the atmosphere with a relaxing buzz and there were groups of much older monsters occupying some of the tables and booths in the establishment. It felt wrong to be in here without an adult, but at the same time it was exhilarating.
Asriel quickly shuffled to a vacant corner booth close to the door. He looked happy as ever as he sat down in it.
"This is my favorite seat," he all but squealed, pushing himself deep into the cushioned leather.
The flex of the smooth surface as it gave way to Frisk's weight was a welcome relief and he couldn't resist the sigh that escaped his lungs. He could get used to a place like this. The low lighting, the quietly soothing music, the heavy scent of juicy food, all of it could just serenade him into slumber…
"So, what do you think of this place—cool, right?"
Well, so much for sleep…
Asriel continued, "Doggerel takes me here when we train in Snowdin. I really like the fries."
Frisk perked up at the name. "Doggerel?" he asked, memories from last night flashing through his mind. "That grumpy old guy takes you here?" That was a bit surprising. He seemed way too stuck up to come within even a mile of a place like this.
"I don't think he wants to be mean." Asriel said. "He just gets grumpy sometimes. Mom said it's because he's old, but Dad said that he's just trying to keep everyone safe."
Frisk crossed his arms indignantly, "He looked like he wanted to hurt me." He accused, feeling more than a little petulant. Asriel took notice and offered a smile.
"Don't worry," he said, "my dad won't let him hurt you even if he wanted to. They've been friends for a long time. Doggerel always listens to my dad!"
Frisk still wasn't convinced. The look in that canine's eyes as he stared at him, it was like he was staring into the eyes of hatred, a hatred that wanted him dead. No simple words would be enough to curb that level of passion. No, he would have to avoid the guard captain and always be with another person. It was the moments in which he was alone that the monster would strike.
"Anyway," Asriel suddenly said, the sharpness in his tone catching Frisk's attention. "I've been thinking—about what Mom said last night…" He traced a claw busily on the surface of the table as his eyes went furtive. "I don't want you to feel sad about being down here. It's really not that bad! I-I mean sure it might be darker here, but there's still a lot to explore. Just wait 'til you see the lakes! They're so cool!"
There was something in his expression that Frisk couldn't help but wonder at. While the monster's voice sounded all cheer and upbeat, there seemed something troubling him; he could detect it deep within the layers of his tone as he spoke. It didn't sound like guilt, but disappointment almost.
"Hey I'm gonna get some fries, you want to come?" Asriel asked. Frisk shook his head.
"I'm fine right here." he said.
"Okay," Asriel said, though he didn't sound too convinced.
Frisk watched the monster head toward the bar, hopping up onto a stool to be recognized by the bartender. The display made him feel slightly envious. Asriel, as innocent and kind as he was, seemed pretty confident. Frisk himself was much less so. He always felt anxious when facing an adult, especially one he didn't already know. It was a rather stupid fear; it wasn't like they were going to hurt him if he misspoke. But for some reason the fear held strong and no amount of assurance could change that.
His thoughts were drowned out as the entrance door swung open and a short figure came through. The skeleton—as Frisk quickly noticed—wore a fixed grin which seemed to suit his casual demeanor, hands entombed deep within the pockets of his blue jacket.
He strolled in making his way straight to the bar a few paces from Asriel who didn't seem to even notice him. Frisk watched as a short transaction was made, the bartender, coming to his service almost immediately.
"heya, grillbz." Frisk heard him greet, "got those 'burgs i asked for?"
The fire-monster gestured to a grease-soaked, brown paper bag which the skeleton scooped up gratefully.
"thanks, grillbz."
Without another word the skeleton turned and made his way for the exit. Just as he went to open the door though he paused, as if he'd forgotten something, and turned his head ever so slightly to make eye contact with Frisk. He held the stare for a second before winking and then strolling out.
If there was any color in Frisk's face before, it had certainly been drained out by that monster's glare. It was the way those sockets looked at him, completely dark, no light penetrating through. It sent a cold shrill through his intestines and he wasn't surprised to find sweat beading on his forehead. But the thing that had unnerved him the most about that hair-splitting gaze was that the skeleton had seemed to know something, like he could read right into Frisk's thoughts. And that wink… it was like he'd been marked for death.
The air in this place was suddenly very thin, the heat unbearable.
"Hey, Frisk, are you all right? You look pale."
Glancing over, he noticed Asriel hop back into his seat, concern written all over his features.
Sitting up, Frisk tried to conceal his uneasiness, said: "Huh? Yeah—yeah I'm fine. Just a little hot in here."
Asriel looked surprised by this, but didn't question it.
"We'll be out of here soon enough." He said. "There's still a ton of stuff left to show you! But first..." his tiny hands darted into a small plastic red basket he had placed on the table. There was a glint of mischief in his eyes as he pulled out a single crispy golden potato strip and held it toward Frisk. "You gotta try these fries!"